During a House of Representatives budget briefing, 4Ps Party-list Representative JC Abalos asked the DSWD about its stand regarding a NEDA-backed study that pegged a monthly threshold of at least ₱9,581 for a family of five, translating to just ₱64 per person per day.
For his part, Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian admitted that a budget of ₱21 per day for food alone is really inadequate and does not jibe with the claim that those who spend more than ₱64 a day should no longer be considered “food poor.” But he clarified that this financial measure is not the sole criterion for determining eligibility for anti-poverty programs.
He explained that 70 percent of SWDI is based on non-monetary factors, including social adequacy and general welfare like the condition of a family’s shelter and access to healthcare and education.
The secretary also clarified that with no rating system provided by SWDI, up to 1.4 million households could lose their rightful social assistance. He was firm in saying that more than the purely economic indicators, the “human factor” and feelers obtained by social workers about a family’s situation should be taken into account.
